1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method.
2. Related Art
Various types of printing apparatuses have thus far been utilized, some of which include a heating unit for heating a medium.
For example, JP-A-2012-139822 discloses a recording apparatus (printing apparatus) that includes a heater, corresponding to the heating unit.
In some of the conventional printing apparatuses that include the heating unit for heating a medium, however, the transport route of the medium includes a heating range where the heat of the heating unit is applied to the medium, and a non-heating range where the heat of the heating unit is not applied to the medium. Besides, in the heating range of some printing apparatuses, the heat amount applied to the medium differs depending on the position of the medium, in other words the heating range includes a region where a relatively larger amount of heat is applied to the medium, and another region where a relatively smaller amount of heat is applied to the medium. In the printing apparatuses configured as above, when the medium is heated while remaining stopped for a certain period of time, the medium may be unevenly heated depending on the positional relationship between the heating range of the heating unit and the medium, and the shape of the heating range, in particular the shape of the support member of the medium. As result, the color of the image printed on the medium may become uneven, owing to the uneven heating.